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© 2013 KentuckyGuard
By Staff Sgt. Scott Raymond, Kentucky National Guard Public Affairs
Kentucky National Guard Airmen and Soliders compete in a rifle match at Fort Knox, Ky., July 25, 2015. The Guardsmen fired M4 rifles and M9 pistols in a variety of events during the annual Adjutant General Marksmanship Match. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Staff Sgt. Scott Raymond)
FORT KNOX, Ky. — Annually, the top shooters in the Kentucky National Guard gather to prove their skills and compete for the exclusive Governor’s Twenty patch. More than 50 Soldiers and Airmen took to the firing line at Fort Knox, Ky., July 25-26 for the Adjutant General’s Marksmanship Match.
“This event showcases what the Kentucky National Guard has to offer as far as marksmanship is concerned,” said Sgt. 1st Class James Dean, Kentucky Marksmanship coordinator. “Shooting, I think, is in a Kentuckian’s DNA.”
An Airman fires during a pistol event at The Adjutant General’s Marksmanship Match in Fort Knox, Ky., July 25, 2015. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Staff Sgt. Scott Raymond)
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The Kentucky Guard awards the “Governor’s Twenty” tab only to the top 20 participants who have accumulated enough points over the two days of matches. Those that have earned the tab must also out perform those that may have already earned it, meaning if 18 of the participants currently ranked in the top 20 have previous been awarded the tab then only two will be awarded, which happened this year.
Master Sgt. Edwin Garcia of Joint Force Headquarters, and Staff Sgt. Shahid Iqbal of the 238th Training Regiment were the only two awarded the tab this year.
Kentucky Guardsmen compete in a pistol event during The Adjutant General’s Marksmanship Match at Fort Knox, Ky., July 25, 2015. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Staff Sgt. Scott Raymond)
“When all the many things we as Soldiers and Airmen have to do to satisfy yearly training obligations are complete, we still have to be a confident and competent operator of small-arms,” said Dean. “Thankfully the Kentucky National Guard’s leadership has already seen the importance of these events and once again stepped up to ensure its success.”
Guardsmen also compete for the “Top Gun” award, which is given to the participant who achieves the highest point total over the two days. This year there were five individual matches that created the aggregate score. Staff Sgt. Jacob Fuller of 123rd Civil Engineering Squardron, 123rd Air Wing was the winner of the award. Fuller was also the top rifle marksman for the weekend, while Dean brought home top honors for pistol competition.
A Soldiers fires during a rifle event at The Adjutant General’s Marksmanship Match at Fort Knox, Ky., July 25, 2015. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Staff Sgt. Scott Raymond)
Capt. William Wilford, Kentucky’s senior marksmanship coordinator said the Small Arms Readiness Training Section’s (SARTS) mission is to stand ready to be a combat multiplier to commanders across the state via clinics, or by sending SARTS NCO’s to their training events to assist in training Soldiers.
“From basic qualifications of individual weapons, to training in the live-fire Shoot-house, we have the tools available to meet a commander’s intent,” said Wilford. “This yearly training event allows a wealth of knowledge to gather to assist new soldiers and airmen in some of the finer arts of marksmanship and to simply become better at their jobs.”
Kentucky Guardsmen review their targets at The Adjutant General’s Marksmanship Match in Fort Knox, Ky., July 25, 2015. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Staff Sgt. Scott Raymond)
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By Capt. John T. Stamm, 123rd Airlift Wing Public Affairs
Marksmen from the Kentucky Air National Guard's 123rd Airlift Wing took top honors in the Adjutant General's Kentucky National Guard State Combat Training Event, held May 1, 2011, at Fort Knox, Ky. Pictured from left to right, back row, are Master Sgt. Norm Rechel, Tech. Sgt. Bryan Hunt, Tech Sgt. Erik Smith, and Tech. Sgt. Don Yeats. On the front row are Airman 1st Class Abe Hilbers, Master Sgt. Darryl Loafman, Tech. Sgt. Randy Ford and Staff Sgt. Jim Berger. (Courtesy Photo)
FORT KNOX, Ky. — Several members of the Kentucky Air National Guard’s 123rd Airlift Wing won top honors at the Adjutant General’s Kentucky National Guard State Combat Training Event, held May 1 at Fort Knox, Ky.
The Kentucky National Guard Recruiting and Retention Office sponsors the annual combat matches to promote marksmanship by providing competition between units within the Commonwealth. The competition emphasizes improvement in individual shooting skills, team spirit, physical fitness and leadership qualities, said Master Sgt. Darryl Loafman, captain of the 123rd’s Team A.
This year, the shooting events were tough, but the competition was even tougher, he said.
“We went up against Army National Guard teams from across the Commonwealth, and they are all highly trained marksmen,” Loafman said. “To beat shooters of their caliber says a lot about the capabilities of our Airmen and what (the Kentucky Air National Guard) can bring to the fight.”
Rifle teams and individuals competed from the prone, standing, sitting, kneeling, squatting and alert positions from distances of 25, 100, 200, 300 and 400 yards with an M16A2, M4 Carbine or M16A4 rifle. Pistol competitors fired from the standing, standing barricade, kneeling and prone positions using an M9 or M11 semi-automatic.
Individual participants were divided into two classes – Old and New. Competitors were considered “old” if they had previously fired at a Post-Level competition in any state; shooters were considered “new” if they hadn’t. Teams had to be comprised of at least 50 percent new shooters. Moreover, all participants had to wear load-carrying equipment during the competition, including a pistol belt, harness, first aid pouch and packet, one canteen with cover and cup, at least two ammunition pouches and a Kevlar helmet.
“We wore gear we would normally wear in a real combat environment,” Loafman said. “This wasn’t just a competition; it was training to prepare Soldiers and Airmen for surviving and winning in a firefight.”
Individual pistol competition winners from the 123rd were Tech. Sgt. Bryan Hunt (1st place pistol, old class), Loafman (2nd place pistol, old class) and Tech. Sgt. Erik Smith (1st place, new class). Loafman, Hunt and Smith also teamed up with Staff Sgt. Randy Ford to claim 1st place in the team event.
While the rifle competitors from the 123rd didn’t occupy top slots individually, they did capture the 1st- and 2nd-place team titles. Team A took top honors and was comprised of Loafman, Hunt, Smith and Ford; Team B won second place with Master Sgt. Norman Rechel, Tech. Sgt. Jim Berger, Tech. Sgt. Don Yeats and Airman 1st class Abram Hilbers. The two teams also took the 1st- and 3rd-place Overall titles, respectively.
Additionally, Loafman was awarded the 3rd place Overall Individual title, and Rifle Team B was awarded the First Annual Lt. Ephraim M. Branks Award. Lieutenant Branks, a Greenville, Ky. native, is historically referred to as the “Kentucky Long Rifleman.” He earned hero status during the War of 1812 for his actions against British Forces at the Battle of New Orleans in 1815.
